O.K. Thanks for that feedback. Now the real dumb question is would any of you use any of these live?

The Avalon has been used live by a couple of folks and is (by my research) the most affordable one at between $1600 used and $1900 new. That's a lot to spend on essentially a preamp when the Alembics and Kerns and Demeters are out there for less. The most expensive Pre that I really want to try is the 10 tube Aggy. But the Avalon 737 and the Milineia STT are VERY tempting!!